


Found, what I was looking for

by No_straight_writing



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Feelings, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Love, Love Confessions, Who is the doctor, Yaz is desperate, alien planets, river song - Freeform, thasmin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29868504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_straight_writing/pseuds/No_straight_writing
Summary: A visit to the space market goes differently than expected and Yaz has to team up with River to save the doctors life.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first FanFiction. I had this idea and wanted to write it down. I can't promise that everything is grammatically perfect, as english is not my first language. i hope the content is interesting enough that you can overlook minor mistakes. Feel free to point out gross errors ;) 
> 
> Dan probably doesn't have the role he deserves. But at least he's there.

"How about visiting the biggest market in the universe?"  
With a broad smile and hands on her hips, the Doctor stood in front of the kitchen table where Dan and Yaz were eating their breakfast. Yaz knew this pose all too well. Translated, it meant: I have made the most brilliant suggestion and you have to celebrate me for it.  
"It is located on the planet Thadus 04PL. Thadus translates as market. Surprising, isn't it? No one knows to this day which came first. The market or the planet. Maybe you two could get some nice space souvenirs. The range doesn't really leave anything to be desired!"  
Dan chewed on his breakfast: "What kind of currency do you pay with?" he asked with his mouth full. Yaz's face twisted questioningly, as if to say: What a really strange question!  
The Doctor, on the other hand, liked it very much. Of Course. 

"That's a very good question, Dan! It varies. Mostly with BitCoin. I have a few thousand left too. My treat!"

"A few...thousand??" Yaz choked on her cornflakes. 

"More or less. Haven't looked in a while!" Smugly, the blonde woman grinned at the two human at her kitchen table. 

"How can it be, that on a space market you pay with BitCoins?" Dan took a sip of coffee and looked at the doctor incredulously. "Cryptocurrencies were only invented barely ten years ago, weren't they? And most importantly, on Earth!"

"Ten years of your time, that's right. On Earth? No. More like foisted on you to help development along a bit. Similar to the wheel or the internet. Left to yourselves, you're just too slow."  
She shrugged her shoulders, as she shoved a rusk into her mouth.  
"So, how about it? Are you with me?"

"Sure." Dan shoved the rest of his cheese sandwich into his mouth. "Spending BitCoins at space flea markets?! I'm in!"

Yaz shook her head in amusement. But agreed nonetheless. "Sounds like a safe trip at least. So fine by me."

„Brilliant.We'll be there in about an hour. It's kind of a desert planet. You won't need jackets." With these words, the Doctor rushed out of the kitchen to enter the coordinates of their destination into the Tardis.

"Did you know she was that rich?" Dan whispered, leaning over the kitchen table. "Do you know what a BitCoin is worth!"  
"I know. At least roughly. However, I think our understanding of wealth and hers are a bit different." Yaz chewed on her cornflakes and had to smile as she thought about what Graham and Ryan would have said if they had known.  
__________________________________________________________________________

An hour later, the three of them were ready in the console room of the Tardis. Dan had put on his shorts as recommended.  
"You keep your coat on? I thought it was a desert planet," Dan asked, addressing the blonde woman who was still turning some knobs on the Tardis console.  
Unlike him and Yaz, who wore only a t-shirt and thin trousers, she was dressed as usual. 

"My coat has a cooler. No need to take it off.“

Dan raised an eyebrow questioningly and looked over at Yaz who nodded and replied, "Or it's heated! Depending on the weather." Grinning, she continued, "Though I think sometimes it doesn't work. She doesn't let on, but when we went skiing at Zelara..."

"Yaz only ever tells the most boring stories", interrupted the Doctor. "We're here!I hope you both brought enough shopping bags."

The sun was blinding as they stepped out of the Tardis. Dan in front. He seemed quite excited. It was only his second alien planet and the first had left a rather bad impression and a scar on his forehead. On Earth, no ten horses would have got him shopping at 9am, but the promise of an alien market and enough BitCoins to buy Big Ben made him curious.  
The Tardis seemed to have landed in some kind of intergalactic car park. All around them were the craziest flying objects. Small ones and big ones. Dan and Yaz looked around in amazement. 

"Wow. Now that's something I haven't seen in the last three years either." Yaz turned in a circle to look at the scenery completely. Right next to the Tardis was a huge spaceship that looked like a giant vacuum cleaner and right next to that one was a spaceship so small that Yaz couldn't even fit through the door on all fours.  
"I'd like to see the alien that goes with it", she thought, but then she remembered the P'ting and dismissed the thought. 

The two trotted after the doctor, who was once again setting an unnecessarily fast pace, Yaz thought. Why all the stress?  
Dan caught himself looking out for the Millennium Falcon and had to grin, "Wrong franchise, dude!", he said quietly to himself. 

Yaz caught up with the blonde woman. "Do you have something specific in mind? I can't imagine you brought us here just for pleasure!" 

"Why shouldn't I ?" the other woman replied, somewhat offended. "But you're right, I am indeed looking for something. Long story. I'll explain later when I find what I'm looking for." 

"And you find it, whatever, here?", Yaz hated it when the doctor hid something from her. They had been together for over three years now, but there were still so many moments when Yaz felt that the other woman did not trust her. She assured her every time that it wasn't so, that there were just things Yaz couldn't understand, (A statement Yaz didn't find much better) but it didn't change the feeling of rejection. 

"Not necessarily. But, as I said, it's the biggest market in the universe. In fact, you can find almost everything here. From all centuries, from all planets and beyond. There's even a stall with original Dogaprarian biscuits. You must try them!" The doctor gave Yaz a smile that made her quickly forget the unpleasant feeling she had just had. She makes it every time, she thought, as she felt a slight tugging in her chest. 

"Dogaprarian? Sounds like dog biscuits. I'll pass!" Dan had caught up with the two women. 

Judging by the size of the parking space, the market had to be really gigantic. And so it was. After squeezing past an apparently arguing alien couple and walking around a spaceship shaped like a large cube (Still the wrong franchise, Dan thought), Yaz caught her first glimpse of the market. Whereas she found the word „market" ridiculously wrong for this. They were standing on a hill. In front of them, a huge crowd of different creatures poured down the slope. As for the market, Yaz could not believe her eyes. It had to stretch for miles in all directions. No matter where she looked, she could see no end. 

"Boy!" Dan exclaimed beside her in amazement. "Now that's a market!"

"And here you want to look for a specific thing?", Yaz turned to the blonde woman beside her. "How long is this going to take? Dan and I are mortal, you know that, right!"

"Oi, very kind of you to remind me“, the woman replied. "You didn't have to do that now!“,pouting slightly, she continued, "And I didn't say, I'd find it here. But I'll be allowed to look, won't I? And you'll get something out of it, too."

"Yeah alright“, Yaz laughed and pushed the blonde woman in front of her. "Go on then!"

The three joined the stream of aliens moving down the hill.  
Dan was fascinated. "This is so crazy, Yaz. Look around you!"  
His previous contact with aliens had been limited to Sontarans, (they had captured him in Liverpool and taken him away on their spaceship. The whole thing had turned out to be a mix-up in the end) and, of course, the Doctor. The little blonde woman who walked directly in front of him, however, mostly seemed to him like a loopy human. She reminded him of a former teacher in middle school. She had also talked too much, rarely got to the point and was then offended when no one understood what she actually wanted to explain. He had liked her anyway. So, actually, just like the Doctor.

The creatures that were now pushing their way down the hill around him were more like what he would call "alien life forms". Some had purple skin. There were some that looked more like dog creatures ("They are probably here for the biscuits", Dan thought), and a few metres in front of them walked a group of creatures with 8 legs that reminded him of walking octopuses. 

Yaz was also thrilled by the spectacle around her. She had already seen a few aliens in the last three years. But so many in one heap was new for her, too. What was also new: Until now, there had usually been some kind of problem when she had encountered alien beings. But here, everyone seemed to have only one goal and no one was interested in the three of them. A pleasant feeling, Yaz thought. 

The thousands of feet around them kicked up dust. After about 10 minutes, when they reached the bottom of the hill and stood at the edge of the market, all three of them were covered in dust. Truly a desert planet. 

"Here's the plan!", the Doctor stood in front of the two and dusted off her coat. "You two look around at your leisure. If you want to buy anything, just use this card.“ She thrust a cheque card of some sort into Yaz's hand. "I looked again. There are 5000 BitCoin on it. That should be enough for a few souvenirs." She rummaged in the inside right pocket of her coat. "The important thing is that you only buy food and drink from stalls with this sign", she handed Yaz a piece of paper with a blue sign printed on it in illegible letters."That means it's safe across species. So nothing that could be toxic to humans. Oh, and no haggling. Accept the prices or buy nothing. You got that? Have fun then." She gave them both her most winning smile and turned on her heel.

"Doctor!", Yaz held her by the sleeve. "Dan and I are supposed to look around here alone? What if we don't find each other again? The market is huge!"

The blonde woman hesitated briefly, then replied, "Don't be silly. The market can't be that big that I can't find Yaz again!", and with that she disappeared into the crowd.

Yaz looked at Dan with her mouth open. He just stood there shrugging, clearly as overwhelmed as Yaz herself. 

"Have you ever visited a place like this?“, asked Dan.

Yaz shook her head. "No. We were once in an intergalactic shipping warehouse. That was impressive. But something like this is new to me too." She put a hand on Dan's shoulder. "Come on, let's make the best of it. And who knows, maybe we'll really find something."

After a while, the two of them got used to the crowds and their new surroundings. Always careful not to lose sight of each other, they strolled along the stalls. Just as the Doctor had promised, there really was everything you could imagine to buy here. Jewellery, all kinds of technical stands, clothes, weapons. At some of the stalls, however, the two could not see the purpose of the goods. Dan had even spotted a stand with, what the vendor assured him, were high-quality space tools. Yaz couldn't understand what was so special about this stand. Nails were apparently hammered into the wall all across the universe. Dan, however, seemed unable to get enough of it. Only reluctantly did he let Yaz push him along.

"Keep coming, if you don't want to buy anything! I'm thirsty!" 

"700 BitCoins for a saw. I guess 5000 isn't worth as much as I thought." He grinned. "Look, back there. There's something to drink there. I also see this blue sign!" He pointed to a stand where a long queue had already formed. The two of them got in line. The queue moved forward only slowly. How long had they been here now? Yaz had lost a little sense of time. She estimated two to three hours, and that in the heat. "What's taking so long?“, she muttered to herself. Dan shrugged.  
"If we were on Earth, I'd ask. But I won't do it here“, he winked at Yaz. 

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the stand. They both ordered water. They couldn't do anything with the other offers on the menu. The vendor had tried to sell Yaz a drink called "Pamtaira". But the appearance of the drink and the expression on the vendor's face had only convinced her otherwise. Water, then, for 200 BitCoin per cup. 

"Do you think they ripped us off?", Yaz asked the man next to her. 

Dan finished his cup in three big gulps. "Pretty sure, yeah!" 

"I told you I'd find you again!"  
Yaz winced so hard she almost spilled her water. The Doctor was suddenly standing next to her. "Have you bought anything yet?" 

"No," Yaz replied. "Only water so far."

"Only water?“, the other woman looked disappointed. "I'm thirsty too." 

"Are you really going to stand in line there? You can get something from me...!"

But the Doctor was already waving her psychic paper in front of some little hairy aliens. "She's really pushing in front, Yaz. She's a right arsewipe sometimes, isn't she?“, Dan pursed his mouth, but looked amused.

"You don't say," Yaz took a sip of water. "An adorable arsewipe", she added to his sentence in her mind, while she watched the blonde woman.

The doctor returned with a large cup in her hand. "Pamtaira. The best drink in the universe. You can only get it here. Special recipe. You should have had this. Would you like to taste?", she held the cup under Yaz's nose.  
"No thanks. Water is quite enough for me", Yaz sipped her drink sulkily. She hated how inferior she felt sometimes. 

"Do you want to look around some more?“, the blonde woman looked questioningly at Dan and Yaz.

"Did you get what you wanted?“, asked Yaz back. 

"I bought something, yes“, the doctor replied.

"Can we see it?" asked Dan curiously.

The Doctor shook her head. "No, not now! But maybe you want to buy something?! There is an area with antique goods. Very interesting. That's actually always worthwhile. What do you think?"

"But only if you don't have a story to tell about every counter-item!“, Yaz grinned at the other woman. 

"I wouldn't bet on it", the Doctor replied, with THAT smile again.  
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The two suns had already passed the highest point in the sky when the three reached their destination. The market seemed different here. Quieter, less busy. 

"This area of the market is more interesting for professionals. For antique dealers or archaeologists, for example", the Doctor explained.

"And how do you know this area?", Yaz raised an eyebrow. "Secret passion?"

"I was here, a few times, with someone who was interested. A very long time ago."

"With someone?" Yaz was curious and, as always when the doctor told her about "the old days", a little jealous too. She knew this feeling was silly, but couldn't help it. It was probably also because she knew so little about the blonde woman's personal past. But where should she even begin to tell. Even if they spent hours talking, it would only be fragments of the life the doctor had lived.  
"But fragments would be fine by me“, Yaz thought.

"With someone!", the doctor pressed her lips together. That was all the answer Yaz got. 

The three strolled from stall to stall. As Yaz had expected, there was of course something to tell about many items from the doctor's point of view. Both Dan and Yaz indulged her and pretended to listen attentively to every little detail about alien rites, from alien races on alien planets. Yaz was already so used to the blonde woman's torrent of words, that she always answered appropriately when there was a question and no explanation.  
Dan was not so good at it yet. Every time she caught him not listening, he got a reprimanding look. His thoughts drifted back to his eighth grade teacher. 

"Look", Yaz had stopped in front of a stall with fascinating looking wooden masks.  
"Hmmm...interesting!“, there seemed to be no anecdote to tell about this stall, for the blonde woman just looked at the masks in silence.  
Yaz picked up one of the masks. It was reddish in colour, with green ears protruding strongly from its head and its mouth and eyes, or rather one eye, wide open. The other was covered. By a snake.  
"Kind of creepy“, she thought. 

"Where do you think it came from?“, she asked the Doctor.  
The blonde woman looked back at Yaz. "I don't know. Do you like it? Let me see." She took the mask from Yaz's hand. "Pretty heavy."  
She held the mask up to her face with both hands. Yaz grinned, "Looks the same as always."

Slowly the other woman put the mask back on the table. "We'd better not take that one." 

"Doctor? Are you all right?" Yaz noticed immediately that something was wrong. The woman in front of her was even paler than usual and seemed to be having difficulty focusing her gaze. Yaz tried to look her in the eyes, to focus her gaze, but she couldn't. "Doctor? What's wrong?" she asked again.

"Yaz!" The blonde woman's voice was more of a hoarse whisper, powerless. "Please take me back to the Tardis." Then her knees buckled. Yaz just managed to prevent her from falling completely to the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

"Dan, please, help me!" Her voice cracked as she called out to Dan, who had already strolled one stall over and was unaware of the incident. 

The man turned around, startled. He could not immediately spot Yaz. His eyes searched the surroundings until he spotted the two women. Yaz stood bent over, the doctor hanging limply in her arms. 

He sprinted off and helped Yaz pull the blonde woman into an upright positon. 

"What's wrong?" he asked irritably, as he put an arm around the smaller woman's waist to hold her upright. "Has she had too much Pamtaira?"

"I don't know!“, replied Yaz breathlessly. "She put the mask on and suddenly...I don't know, something happened." Yaz pointed to the red mask on the table, his gaze followed her hand briefly.

The doctor hung in Dan's arms. Her breathing seemed strained. Although her eyes were open, she didn't seem to be really present mentally. Her lips moved but no sound came out and Yaz noticed that her irises were trembling. 

"Doctor? Can you hear me? Look at me...please!" No reaction. The doctor's face was blank and no matter how hard Yaz tried to focus her gaze, she couldn't. 

So, Yaz reached out a hand and lightly touched the other woman's cheek. Then, finally, the other woman reacted. The moment Yaz touched her face, their eyes met. The doctor's nostrils quivered, her breath came in short bursts. But at least she reacted. 

"Do you think you can manage to walk back to the Tardis?"

"I'll try", the words were more muttered than spoken.

Yaz's touch had apparently freed the Doctor a little from her absent condition. She was at least able to walk next to Dan. He had to support her, but she could walk herself. 

"Do you know how to get back to the Tardis? I just followed you without paying attention to the path. Sorry!", Dan raised his eyebrows apologetically.

"I think so, yeah."

On the way back, Yaz kept looking around anxiously for Dan and the doctor. Her condition seemed to have deteriorated again. By now he was dragging the woman along more than she was walking beside him. She was breathing heavily and sweat was dripping from her forehead.  
Yaz could hardly bear the sight of the other woman stumbling along beside Dan. She felt her heart pounding and her mouth went dry. 

At the foot of the hill below the parking space, they stopped for a moment. Glancing at the woman in Dan's arms, Yaz said, "I don't think she can make it up there on her own two feet, Dan."

"All right, here we go." Without much difficulty, Dan lifted the Doctor up and with her in his arms, he walked up the path.

Yaz stayed put for another moment and looked after the two. The fact that the doctor let herself be carried up the hill without resistance made Yaz painfully aware of what a bad state the other woman must be in. Under normal circumstances she would never have allowed this. 

She took a deep breath and with a short sprint she had caught up with them again.  
Yaz looked up at the blonde woman. Her head was resting on Dan's shoulder. There was no tension in her limbs. Yaz wasn't sure if she was still conscious at all.  
_______________________________________________________________________________________

It was pleasantly cool in the Tardis. Yaz only now noticed how much she was sweating. She was leaning against one of the pillars in the console room and breathing heavily.  
Worried, she looked over at Dan. He was standing next to the centre console, the Doctor still in his arms. 

"Do you think you can stand?", he asked quietly. So she was conscious. Relieved, Yaz went over to the two. 

Carefully, Dan lowered the small woman. Her legs were obviously still wobbly, but at least she could stand, with her back against one of the pillars. 

However, she seemed to take no notice at all of her surroundings, or at least of Yaz and Dan.  
Her gaze was fixed on the floor and she spoke to herself.

"What happened, Doctor?...Dunno, Doctor...all this blackness...no thoughts...I can't...what?...No...there was nothing...nothing at all...Maybe...no...on the other hand...however...maybe she knows, Doctor?...She?...Yes!...No!...Who else...but she is gone, Doctor...you said goodbye...Yes, but before that...before that it is possible...she knows these things...she has always known." 

And with these words she jumped forward to the console and fiddled like a madwoman with the controls, buttons and switches. 

Dan and Yaz watched the spectacle from a little distance. The blonde woman seemed completely in her own world. 

"What is she doing?", asked Dan quietly. 

"I have no idea", Yaz replied, her eyebrows furrowed in worry.

The doctor made a few rounds around the console. Then she suddenly stopped, her gaze stiffened. With a trembling hand, she pressed down the dematerialisation lever. "Find her, please! Any time!" Then she fell over. 

Yaz cried out. "Doctor!" She ran over to the other woman who was sprawled on the floor of the Tardis, obviously unconscious. Or? Yaz reached for her wrist. She exhaled with relief. Both pulses could be felt, weak and fast, but still palpable.

"I think she has fainted“, Yaz continued to hold the hand of the woman lying on the ground next to her. She searched her head for injuries but could see none. With tears in her eyes, she looked up at Dan. "I don't know what to do!" 

Dan said nothing. There was silence in the room, only a low hum in the background, the sound of the Tardis flying. Yaz sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek.

A soft beeping from the centre console caught her attention. She stood up, turned towards the console and suddenly shouted, "Shut up...you can't help right now because no one is left who understands you!", she kicked a pipe with her right foot. "Bloody hell...!" Yaz felt helpless and angry. In three years, the Doctor hadn't seen fit to teach her how exactly to fly the Tardis. Fine, she knew the function of some levers and could assist when it mattered. But Yaz's desire to learn everything, the Doctor had never complied with. And now here she was, the Doctor switched off on the floor and the Tardis seemingly heading for a destination no one knew what it was. And Yaz could do nothing. She held onto the centre console with both hands and cried. Dan put a hand on her shoulder,but she pushed his hand aside angrily and he pulled away again.  
The Tardis gurgled again."Shut uuuup...!" she cried, wiping the tears from her face.

"Don't yell at her, Yaz! It's not her fault." 

Yaz turned on her heel. The doctor was conscious again. Dan was already with her and helped her sit up. She held her head with her face contorted in pain and leaned against one of the pillars.Yaz squatted down next to her. The blonde woman looked terrible. She was sweating profusely and had dark circles under her eyes. 

"Doctor? What happened?", Yaz whispered. She was afraid to speak too loudly. 

She did not get an answer to her question. The woman in front of her was breathing in and out heavily, she seemed to be in a lot of pain. Then she suddenly reached for Yaz's hand.  
"Listen, I need you to do something for me. I told the Tardis to find someone...in time. I don't know where or when she will land. But when she lands, I need you to go find someone for me!“, she looked Yaz in the eyes, which seemed to take some effort from her.  
"Would you do that for me, Yasmin?"

Yaz swallowed hard. Her mouth and throat were dry and sore. She just nodded. The Doctor squeezed her hand and smiled slightly before she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the pillar. 

Dan stood behind Yaz. He felt out of place. What had he gotten himself into? He had been grateful for the rescue from the Sontarans and attracted by the adventure he had gratefully joined them. But at this moment here he felt superfluous.  
"I'm going to get a bottle of water. Would you like one too, Yaz?" he asked, just to escape the strange mood for a moment.  
Without turning around, Yaz replied harshly, "Bring three."  
"I'm worried too, Yaz. But what should I do?" But Yaz was already no longer listening to him, so he walked away towards the kitchen. 

Yaz crouched motionless next to the blonde woman and held her hand. She didn't know if the doctor had fallen asleep or passed out again. But she was breathing steadily and that was enough for Yaz for now. She brushed a strand of hair from her face. The other woman felt hot. Yaz shuddered and put her palm on her forehead. Sure enough, the Doctor was glowing.  
Yaz began to take off her coat. Maybe it had malfunctioned again and that was why she was sweating so much. 

After a while, Dan came back with the water bottles. He handed two down to Yaz. "Thank you!" she greedily took a few sips as a jolt went through the Tardis and the landing sound began. Yaz's heart beat violently.

Behind her, Dan opened the door of the Tardis and looked out.  
"It doesn't look dangerous," he called out. "Honestly, it looks like Earth. Looks British." He closed the door again and went back to the two women. 

Yaz shook the Doctor's shoulder lightly. "We're there. Tell me, who should I find?"

The blonde woman did not open her eyes, but answered softly: "You must find a woman for me and bring her here. I know her from before, but she may not know who I am. You must try to persuade her. She is stubborn, Yaz. You have to assert yourself!"  
"Okay!" said Yaz. She had expected worse. A woman, on Earth. That was okay, that wasn't so bad. "What's her name, Doctor? Who do I have to look for?"  
The other woman cleared her throat, "River Song. Find Professor River Song and bring her to the Tardis. Hurry!" 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Yaz stood in the doorway of the Tardis and looked out. As Dan had said, it didn't look dangerous. Dangerously normal at most. The Tardis had landed in the courtyard of an old building, perhaps a school or university. A few benches stood under large trees. The sun was shining and there were people sitting on the benches in the shade. Some were reading in books or tablets, others were talking. No one had taken any notice of the Tardis, as it had camouflaged itself after landing. 

Dan looked over her shoulder. "It looks harmless. But shouldn't I come with you anyway? Just to be safe."

"No! Someone has to stay with her. What if she comes to and needs help. I don't want to leave her alone in the Tardis!", Yaz looked back at the woman. It was hard for her to leave, but the Doctor had asked HER to do it, so she would. In fact, she would do anything. 

She looked at Dan. She didn't particularly like leaving him alone with her either. He hardly knew the Doctor, didn't know how to deal with her. With her quirks. He often still seemed overwhelmed by her sometimes odd behaviour. But she couldn't blame him. Nevertheless, right now she wished so much that Graham and Ryan were still with them. 

She swallowed hard, "Dan, I'm sorry you have to go through this now. And I'm sorry I was so mean earlier. I know you're doing the best you can. I'll be back as soon as I can." She smiled upliftingly at him, but he could see it wasn't genuine. There was too much fear in her eyes. Fear for the Doctor, fear of leaving her alone with him and fear of failing. 

"Go on, I can manage here!", he tried to reassure her, though he wasn't sure he could really do it. The connection between him and he woman he was about to be alone with was anything but deep. But how could it be. They had known each other for just two months. Yaz had been travelling with her for years. And the connection between Yaz and the Doctor, he had sensed quite quickly, had a very different quality.  
Yaz stepped out of the Tardis. She turned to Dan for a moment. "When she wakes up, try to get her to drink some water, okay?", Dan nodded and closed the door. 

Yaz took a deep breath. She looked around. It really did seem to be a completely normal, earthly university. At least it looked that way at first glance. From the way the people were dressed, she would guess early 21st century. Maybe around 2005. Birds were chirping in the trees and it was pleasantly warm. Yaz stepped out of the Tardis' shield and tried to move towards the building as unobtrusively as possible. 

"Professor River Song"  
She recited the name a few times in her mind so as not to forget it. Through a stone archway she entered a cloister and from there she continued through a large wooden door into the interior of the building. She walked down the corridor and read the signs on the doors.  
The rooms here were only numbered. That didn't help. She had to find either the name she was looking for on a door or an information counter. 

She found an information counter in the entrance area of the university. 

Two young men were sitting behind the counter, laughing and looking at a mobile phone. Yaz cleared her throat to draw their attention.  
„Hi", one of the men said with a smile.

"Hi," Yaz smiled back. She tried to appear as unagitated as possible. Inside her it looked completely different. She hoped it didn't show how much she was sweating. "I...um...I'm looking for someone. I hope you can help me with that!"

"I hope so too. That's what we're here for."

"Who are you looking for?" the other man asked.

"River Song...um...Professor River Song. Does she work or teach here by any chance?"

"Never heard that name!“, replied the man who had smiled at her at the beginning. He looked at his colleague. "You?" 

"Nope. Which field?"

Yaz stared at him. Damn, the Doctor hadn't said. She stammered. "I...don't know...no idea!" 

"Then it will be difficult," the men looked amused. Yaz did not feel like laughing at all. 

She became more and more tense. Her hands clenched into fists, she tried to remain friendly. "It's important. I have to find her!"

One of the men turned his chair towards an office behind him and called out, "Karin, do you know a Professor Song?" he looked at Yaz. "What was the first name?"

"River!" 

"Professor River Song!" he called out again. 

"Doctor River Song? I think that's one of the guest speakers at the archaeologists' meeting. But I don't know exactly! I think she's giving a lecture in hall 3 right now."

That was enough for Yaz. "Where is the lecture hall?" 

"Up the stairs here and then left. Down the corridor to the end. The number is on the door."

Yaz ran off. She no longer saw the men behind the counter shaking their heads and returning to their mobile phone videos. 

Yaz sprinted all the way to the lecture hall and stopped in front of the door. She put her hands on her thighs and struggled for breath. Still completely out of breath, she quietly opened the door to the lecture hall.  
"You've got to be kidding me", she thought when she saw the hall. It had at least 500 seats and almost all of them were occupied. 

She stepped behind the last row of seats. The lights in the hall were dimmed and the audience's attention was focused on the podium. There stood a woman with very curly hair giving a lecture about some extinct people from South America. But Yaz was not really listening. Her heart was racing. Slowly, she went down the stairs to the far left of the rows of seats. No one was looking at her yet, but she knew that was about to change. She couldn't wait for the woman behind the lectern to finish her lecture. If it was the woman she was looking for, she had to speak to her immediately. Yaz's breathing was rapid and her palms were soaking wet. As if remote-controlled, she continued walking until she was standing directly below the lectern. The other woman had not yet noticed her, but Yaz felt more and more eyes from the audience lying on her. 

Yaz cleared her throat, but her first attempt to speak to the blonde woman ended in a miserable squeak. A stronger throat clearing and the frog in her throat was gone.  
"Excuse me. Are you Professor Song?" No response. She tried a little louder. "I'm looking for Professor River Song. Is that you?"

The woman at the podium interrupted her lecture irritably and looked down at Yaz. "Doctor, darling. And who wants to know?" she asked challengingly. 

Yaz's hands trembled. The woman had an intimidating air about her. "The doctor sent me. She needs..." The other woman interrupted her, laughing. 

"And this Doctor can't wait until I've finished my lecture? And is apparently also too busy to show up here herself?"  
She grinned in the direction of her audience. "Sweetie, please wait until I'm done. Would you be so kind?" Some of the students had started laughing. 

Sweat stood on Yaz's forehead. The Doctor had said that the woman might not recognise her or know who she was. How on earth would Yaz manage to convince her to interrupt her lecture and come with her? 

The woman on the podium was already continuing with her lecture. Yaz mustered all her courage and jumped onto the stage. 

"The doctor is in a very bad way. She told me to find you and bring you to her in the Tardis. And that's what I'm here for now!" 

At the word Tardis, the woman in front of her had stopped talking. Dumbfounded, she looked at Yaz. "What did you just say?"

"She is in a very bad condition. I don't know what happened. But if you are River Song, please, you have to come with me now!" 

Yaz was amazed at how confident she sounded. She felt close to fainting, but outwardly she acted confident. She looked the woman straight in the eye. She was a taller than Yaz. Which was reinforced by her heavily curled hair. Yaz estimated her to be about 40 years old.

The woman covered the mike with one hand. "If this is a bad joke, then...!"

Yaz swallowed. "It isn't. Really. Please. I'm begging you. She needs help. I can't do this alone." 

The woman in front of her seemed to wrestle with herself for a moment, then she spoke into the mike: "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I have to interrupt my lecture. There seems to be an emergency," she hesitated briefly before continuing. "In the family." 

The students didn't seem to mind much. Cheerful whispering filled the room. Nevertheless, Yaz sensed a tension in the air, but it was limited to the area between her and her counterpart. 

"So the doctor, huh? What's he been up to?"

Now Yaz realised that the woman in front of her had probably never met the doctor as Yaz knew her, as a woman. 

"I'll explain everything when we get there. The Tardis is in the courtyard. Come on, quick!"  
Yaz ran off and the other woman after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I don't convey River's character in my story the way her fans would like, I apologise. I am not an expert on her. But it is fanfiction...I can interpret freely, right. ;)


End file.
